Into the Stars
by visionsofsugarplums
Summary: The Doctor never realized how much he could really relate to someone else until Adyson West shows up unexpectedly in his and River's lives.  What they find about each other will change them all forever.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello all! This is my first ever fanfiction, hooray! I've had this idea running around in my mind for a while now, so here goes! **

**Disclaimer: I've created an original character, but I own NOTHING Doctor Who related at all, of course.**

CHAPTER ONE

"Doctor, where are we?"

River smiled fondly at her very own cosmic nine-year old. He was performing the dance around the TARDIS console that she had become so accustomed to seeing every night. He flipped switches, pushed buttons, and peered into the screen, all while smiling broadly.

"We're doing something different tonight. Do you have any idea what today is?" he said with that same huge grin on his face.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, it's our wedding anniversary," River said, raising an eyebrow. "How could I _possibly_ forget, considering you've been talking about some 'big plans' of yours for weeks now-"

"Okay, okay, you caught me," the Doctor said, laughing and throwing his hands in the air. "I was pretty excited, just shoot me now…"

"Sweetie, while you know I have a certain affinity for guns, I could never shoot you." River paused. "Unless of course, you're wearing one of your ridiculous hats," She sauntered up to her husband. "Besides, you secretly like the fact that I'm a spectacular shot." She planted a kiss on his lips.

The Doctor, being currently penned against his own TARDIS console, returned the kiss. He didn't even notice that River flipped a couple of switches behind his back before breaking the kiss.

"Anyway, we're here. Wherever 'here' is, that is," River said with a flirty wink.

"Wait, we haven't landed yet!" exclaimed the Doctor.

But River was already throwing the TARDIS doors open to a beautiful night sky. "Sweetie, I don't know when you're going to realize that you aren't technically supposed to leave the brakes on every time you land…"

"I told you, I like that noise. It's a cool noise," The Doctor straightened his bow tie with a stubborn look on his face.

"Anyway, where are we exactly?" River asked as the Doctor closed the TARDIS doors behind them. She breathed in the sweet smell of the early evening air. They were standing in the middle of a park, where the TARDIS was stealthily hidden by trees. "We're on Earth, right?"

"Correct. New York City to be exact. We're currently standing in Central Park, in 2012," The Doctor bounced happily on the spot before taking River's hand and beginning to stroll in the direction of the street.

"This is… different. No strange looking races? No saving a random planet? No explosions or monsters or anyone trying to kill us?" River chuckled.

"Nope!" he exclaimed as they approached a cozy, small café. "I know I always said that I don't do domestic things, but I thought we'd try something new tonight." He squeezed her hand as they crossed the street.

"We never get a chance to just relax, but tonight is our night. Nothing can stop us." He paused right outside the café and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her hair and planting a kiss on the top of her head. ""I know it's not the usual, but I figured that not running for our lives on our wedding anniversary would be a welcome change for once."

When River stayed silent, he pulled away slightly in alarm.

"Is this okay? I mean, we can always go find another planet-"

He stopped himself when he saw tears in River's eyes. He brushed one of them away warily.

"What…"

"It's perfect," said River, sniffing slightly. "Perfect."

"Happy tears?" the Doctor asked.

"Humany-wumany ones," River replied with a smile.

They entered the café hand in hand. As they sat, River admired the café itself. It was a small, cozy place with candles on the table in substitute for harsh overhead lighting. The dark red walls were filled with pieces of modern artwork that, according to the small signs below each painting, were created by local art students at New York University. It was surprisingly empty for an evening, but the people who were there were mostly young couples. The Doctor and River were seated in a far corner of the room by a hostess, who handed them menus, mumbled that their server would be a girl named Adyson, and disappeared.

A great crash and a high-pitched fit of giggles behind them made the happy couple realize how close they were to the kitchen.

A muffled yell came from within. "Adyson West! If you don't quit laughing at your coworkers' expense, I swear…"

"Oh shut it, Bradley. Neil's klutzy ass if funny, and you know it." A young girl's voice also drifted through the thin walls.

The doors then swung open, revealing a girl of her early twenties. Her dirty-blonde hair reached her waist and swayed slightly back and forth as she walked. Her blue-gray eyes were narrowed slightly, but she had a smug, confident look on her face that the Doctor realized favored River's when she had said something particularly smart. The girl tossed her hair over her shoulder and approached the Doctor and River's table.

"Hey, hey. I'm Adyson, and I'll have the lovely pleasure of serving you tonight and not spending time in the kitchen with my horrible boss and my idiot coworkers," she said, smiling and cocking her head to the side. "Can I get you started with some drinks?"

The Doctor and River chuckled. "We'll start with water."

"Awesome, I'll grab them and be right back," she said, twirling on the spot and dancing away.

"She's energetic," River noted.

The Doctor nodded and peered at his menu. Earth food was so limited in comparison to the other planets they had visited together. But alas, this was supposed to be a somewhat normal night! Human food would have to do.

Adyson returned, a glass of water in each hand. She set them on the table and pulled out a notepad and pen.

"Ready to order?"

"Sure, I'll have a steak. Medium, please. Baked potato on the side." River handed her the menu as Adyson scribbled on the notepad and turned to the Doctor.

"What about you?"

"Erm…" the Doctor had actually not looked at the menu at all. "I'll have… the same thing."

"Great, makes it easy for me. Two steaks, medium, baked potatoes. I'll go put that in, and of course, assuming that the dumbass we call our chef gets it right the first time, I'll be back soon." She smiled again, and with another toss of her hair, twirled on the ball of her foot and disappeared into the kitchen.

River smiled after her. "She seems like a lovely girl."

"What a firecracker. I bet her family acts the same… oh goodness, can you imagine an entire human family of people like her?" the Doctor waved his arms energetically while River laughed.

The light conversation continued while they waited on their food to arrive. Finally, the doors to the kitchen swung open yet again and Adyson came sauntering out, balancing two large platters of steak in her hands. She expertly delivered them in front of the Doctor and River.

"Well, you're in luck tonight. Our new kitchen chef, Neil, decided that he'd actually get your orders right the first time." She sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "He's… something else. Drops every other plate he picks up. Anyway, anything else I can get you?"

"Nothing for me, thanks," said River. "How about you, Sweetie?"

But the Doctor wasn't listening. He was poking at his steak with his fork while grinning broadly. He very obviously had no clue that Adyson was even still present at the table.

"River, did you know that on the planet Krojan they have steaks that look just like this? They aren't beef, of course, they're actually an animal called Ransufers…"

The Doctor was stopped short by the stern look on River's face. It was quite clearly a "what-the-hell-are-you-doing-there-is-a-human-present" face.

Adyson, on the other hand, had frozen. She stared at the Doctor, who was turning redder by the second.

"Did you just say… another planet?" she asked quietly.

"Umm…" the Doctor played with the napkin in his lap.

But Adyson clearly didn't notice the Doctor's slight discomfort. She stared straight at him as she tried to decipher what she had just heard.

"There are… other planets out there with… life? Ransufers or whatever?" Adyson said as she suddenly broke her gaze from the Doctor to the night sky outside the window. "Are you kidding me right now?"

"There's… well… no, I'm not kidding," the Doctor said. River, on the other hand, put her fork down as her face fell into her hands. "Here we go again," she muttered.

"Wait, wait, wait. I can't… I mean… you've got to be lying… but I just heard you… _what?_ Sorry, what am I even thinking? I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll let you eat your dinner in peace." Adyson turned to go, but the Doctor grabbed her hand.

"Do you believe in life outside Earth?" he asked with a serious look on his face.

For the first time since they met her, Adyson was actually not prepared with a snappy comeback. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish a few times before she was able to give an audible answer.

"I… suppose. I always just had this feeling that there was something more than just… this. Just the Earth. Just us. I mean, maybe it's just me wanting more than my pathetic life, but I always just had the feeling that there was something else out there, somewhere." She continued to gaze out the window. "All that sky, there's got to be something else, you know?"

River was now shaking her head, which was still in her hands.

"Doctor, you're doing it again."

His head snapped up. "What?"

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Boasting about space and time and all that."

"For your information, I hadn't even _mentioned_ time travel yet…"

"Time travel?" Adyson choked out. "That's _possible?_"

"See?" said River. "There you go."

"God, either you're telling the truth or I'm really damn gullible," Adyson said.

"I don't think you're the gullible type," replied the Doctor.

"I… okay. Can you prove it to me?" Adyson said. "Sorry to sound rude or anything, but something like that has to be taken with a grain of salt until someone shows me otherwise."

"We can show you… after we eat," said River, slapping at the Doctor's arm. "I'm hungry and this steak is good. No way are we leaving at this very minute."

The Doctor looked slightly downtrodden, but still happy nonetheless. "You go wait on your other tables, and then we'll talk."

"Deal," said Adyson, suddenly jumping to life again. "My only other table I'm serving right now is almost clear. Be back soon."

With that, she scurried away.

"Doctor, we can't keep doing this," said River.

"What, making people realize that there's actually stuff out there?" He gestured towards the window. I see nothing wrong with helping one young girl realize that what she has always suspected is actually true.

River rolled her eyes. "Fine, just eat."

As he chewed on his steak, the Doctor couldn't help but wonder about their newfound friend. She had described her life as pathetic. Did she really mean that, or was that just post-teenage angst? With a little bit of guilt, he wondered if she would ever consider coming with him for a while. The TARDIS tended to get lonely when he had to take River back to Stormcage.

Stormcage… he shivered at the thought. A few years previously, this prison had begun to crack down on River in particular. They noticed that she was breaking out every single night. The certain specifics of the methods they used to try and contain her once and for all caused River and the Doctor to have to do one of the most painful things they had ever done-

The Doctor shook his head. This was no time to reminisce on the past. Regrets are regrets and time can be rewritten, but there are some situations that can't be no matter how much you want them to change.

River and the Doctor were just finishing their meals when Adyson returned.

"Do you… I mean… can you tell me more?" she asked slightly warily.

The Doctor immediately launched into a story about the planet Krojan, which was the one Adyson had overheard his speaking of before. He was just getting to a good description of the residents of the planet (who looked similar to pink chimpanzees) when there was a loud bang.

The kitchen door had swung open and hit the wall next to it, sending one of the paintings cascading to the ground. A large man with a black beard and a very angry expression came charging out of the kitchen, straight toward River and the Doctor's table.

"ADYSON! Why on Earth are you chatting it up with customers?" the man spat.

Adyson didn't miss a beat.

"I don't know, maybe because I have a good sense of customer service!" Adyson was not very tall, but she drew herself up to her full height to stare down the angry man. "Unlike you, who just bangs open the door and begins to scream at me in the middle of this lovely couple's dinner!"

The man looked slightly taken aback, but not surprised that Adyson had responded like this.

"You're not getting paid to chat with customers! You're getting paid to serve them food! You obviously aren't serving food at the moment; I saw you leaning over the table. Clearly talking! I'm so sick of you and your attitude! You're fired!" the man said, growing redder with each word.

"You know what? I quit!" Adyson took off her apron and with a swift flick of her wrist, threw it in her boss's face. "I've wanted to quit here for a while now! You say you're sick of my attitude, but I'm sick of yours! Good luck getting someone else to work in this dump!"

With that, Adyson pushed past him into the kitchen and emerged seconds later with a coat and a purse.

"By the way, I want my last paycheck. Stat." With a twirl, she was out the door.

River and the Doctor stared at each other with wide eyes before quickly throwing some money on the table and following Adyson out the door. Knowing that angry humans and other angry aliens can be quite similar, they did not want to be in the vicinity of this man at the moment.

They found Adyson outside, sitting on the curb in front of Central Park. Her fingers were knotted in her hair, and she was staring at the ground. She glanced up as she heard them approach.

She sniffed quickly. If she had been crying, there was no evidence now.

"Sorry you had to see that. My boss Bradley is a real ass. Well, former boss." Across her face was her signature smug smile. "So how about that time and space stuff?"

The Doctor smiled and extended a hand to help Adyson up, but she was already on her feet.

"Come on. I need to take River back anyway, we might as well make a side trip." The Doctor replied as they began to walk towards Central Park.

"River? Oh, that's your name isn't it? Sorry, I didn't catch yours earlier. Like I said before, I'm Adyson. Adyson West. You?"

"River Song."

"The Doctor."

Adyson stared.

"The Doctor."

"Yes."

"Just… the Doctor. Nothing else?"

"Nope. The Doctor!" He spread his arms wide and grinned.

"Okay…" Adyson glanced at River, who gave her a reassuring nod. "What's with the bow tie?"

"Bow ties are, and always will be, cool." The Doctor straightened his as he spoke.

Adyson nodded, chucking slightly as River rolled her eyes.

"So… do you have a spaceship or something?" Adyson asked as she looked around the park. "Because I don't see anything."

"Here we are!" The Doctor said, spreading his arms out again. "This, Adyson West, is the TARDIS."

"It's a big blue box," said Adyson skeptically. "You're telling me that this thing flies through space?"

"And time," the Doctor said with a wink. He opened the doors and ushered her inside.

The Doctor laughed as he watched Adyson's face change from smug and skeptical to absolute awe. After the initial stammers and descriptions of "it's bigger on the inside", Adyson seemed to take it all in.

"So. This thing. It's bigger on the inside. And it flies through space. And time. So you go to other planets in other times." Adyson listed as she ticked things off on her fingers.

"Pretty much. You catch on fast!" The Doctor nudged River. "Other people I've traveled with have taken forever to soak it all in. You hold the record right now, I think."

River shook her head. "Doctor, I really should get back… you know how they are…"

"Of course!" The Doctor clapped his hands. "Want to come with, Adyson?"

"Where are we going?" she asked while still exploring the console room of the TARDIS.

River looked at the Doctor, who instantly knew it was not the time to explain why they had to take her back to a prison. "Well, that's a long story. We're going to drop River off really fast and then I'll take you somewhere, how about that?"

"Okay, I suppose so," said Adyson.

"Great! Off we go!" With a few flicks of switches and knobs, the Doctor sent them hurdling into the time vortex.

Never in her life did Adyson West think that she would be knocked to the floor of a time machine that looks like a blue police box from the force of it being thrown into another time and planet. It even sounded ridiculous to her in her head.

But there was something so right about this. Adyson couldn't pinpoint it, but something about traveling felt like that's where she needed to be. She remembered her lonely life as a small child, staring out the window at the starless night sky, wishing that someone or something would whisk her away into a life of adventure. Or at least wishing that she could see the stars from her bedroom window. But unfortunately, you can't see stars in New York City. And she had been condemned to a life of loss and pain instead.

Adyson shook the thoughts out of her head. She was going to another planet; there was no need for depressing thoughts.

With the TARDIS's signature grinding noise, they came to a halt finally.

"Uhh, Adyson, you stay in here for a minute," said the Doctor. I'm going to walk River in-"

"Is this another planet? Can I come?" Adyson exclaimed, starting towards the door.

"Not yet!" The Doctor replied quickly, catching her arm as she ran to the door. "This one's not safe. Stay here for a minute then I'll take you somewhere else."

"Doctor, I can take care of myself. I have been for most of my life. Don't ever tell me I can't do something, because I can and will prove you wrong." Adyson crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

"Seriously, this won't even take me five minutes. Just wait here," said the Doctor.

"Fine," Adyson said with a huff.

River hugged Adyson goodbye. "I'm sure I'll see you soon," she said. "Have fun with the Doctor!" With that, they both slipped out the door.

Adyson was still irritated. She did not like being told what to do or what was and wasn't safe. However, before she had the chance to think about it, the Doctor was back.

"So, where to, Adyson?" the Doctor asked. "We could go for a little joy ride somewhere."

"Do you travel alone?" Adyson said suddenly.

The Doctor was shocked. "My life is quite… complicated. Especially now."

"How so? Are you and River together?" Adyson asked.

"We're actually… married. And it's a really long story." The Doctor began to switch a few knobs and push some buttons. "You know, I know this lovely planet that is full of mountains that I think you'd like…"

"You never answered my question. Do you travel alone?"

The Doctor paused, leaning his head on the console.

"Yes. Yes, I do travel alone."

"Need some company?" Adyson asked. "I know it's kind of quick and you haven't even taken me anywhere yet, but I figured, you know…"

"You would come with me?" The Doctor asked.

"I sure as hell would! You try explaining to my landlord that I won't be able to pay rent this month because I just lost my job. He's a bigger bastard than my old boss was. And you have no idea how long I've waited for something like this to happen to me," Adyson said as she gazed around the control room. "Me and my pathetic little life."

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, my life is quite… complicated," Adyson said with a little smirk and a cock of her head.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Well, where do you want to go first?"

"What?"

"Adyson West. We can go to all of time and space. Anywhere and everywhere. Any star or planet that ever was or ever will be. Where do you want to start?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's chapter 2! This one's mostly about the Doctor and Adyson, but I promise River will be back soon! **

**Enjoy! Please review!**

"Woah." Adyson bolted back into the TARDIS and collapsed onto the seat in the console room.

"Doctor! That was the coolest thing I have EVER done!"

He had taken her to a planet called Ipmansius, which was known throughout the universe for its beautiful mountains and generally picturesque scenery. Adyson had grown bored of watching the mountains after a mere five minutes and had set off to climb one instead.

The Doctor came stumbling in after her.

"I didn't realize you were such a daredevil," he began. "Seriously, where did you _ever_ get the idea that jumping off of a mountain top was a good idea-"

"We had harnesses, Doctor. And in case you can't see, I'm standing in front of you. That means I'm still alive." She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "What's life without a little risk?"

The Doctor couldn't argue with that, considering the life he tended to live.

"Fine, just don't scare me like that."

"Aww, look at you being all caring and stuff."

The Doctor walked over to the console and sighed. "Where to now?"

"Actually, could I run home?" asked Adyson as she too approached the console.

"You… want to go home?" asked the Doctor, disappointment crossing his face.

"Not forever, stupid!" Adyson said with a wave of her hand. "You can't get rid of me that easily, I expect you need someone around to keep you somewhat sane. But if you want me to hang around for more than a few days, I'm going to need to pack my stuff. Plus, I can get my last paycheck from Sir Slimeball the boss-man. I live about a block from the café where I used to work."

"Great!" The Doctor punched in the coordinates and they were off yet again.

The Doctor opted to wait outside while Adyson barged into the café to demand her last paycheck. The bangs and yells that he heard from the inside told him that he had made the right choice.

Adyson emerged a mere five minutes later, clutching a small piece of paper in her hand and wearing even more of a smug look than she normally did.

"Well, I never have to deal with _that_ asshole ever again," she said. With a toss of her hair, they started off down the street together.

"Don't expect much of my apartment," said Adyson as they approached her building.

The building itself was enough to make even the Doctor not want to go near. The paint was peeling off of the sides. Some of the apartments had balconies, but it looked like all of them had had them at some point. The ones that did had pieces hanging on by mere splinters. Many of the windows were broken and duct taped together. Some did not have windows at all. It was the sorriest excuse for a living arrangement that the Doctor had ever seen, and that came from someone who lives in a big blue box.

Adyson sighed at the look on the Doctor's face as they began to climb the stairs.

"I told you not to expect much," she said with a slight tone of embarrassment. "At least I live on the top floor. I've only had my place broken into a couple of times now… but the people on the bottom floor have their apartments busted up every weekend or so."

The Doctor was appalled. "Why on Earth do you live here?"

"It's the only place I can afford on a waitress's salary," said Adyson with a shrug. "People don't tip much. And it's not so bad. I live next to some pretty nice people. That's when they're sober, that is."

Adyson stopped in front of a doorway and inserted a small gold key into the lock. She shook the doorknob roughly before being able to turn the key and kick the door in. The door made an awful squelching noise against the doorframe as it creaked open to reveal a small studio apartment.

The Doctor stepped warily into the dark room. Adyson flipped on the overhead light and looked nervously at him.

"Again, it's not much. But it's home… sort of," she said.

The room was tiny, much smaller than the console room in the TARDIS. There was a mattress without box springs or a real bed frame lying on the floor in the corner. On the other wall was a small mini fridge with a tiny microwave on top of it. The paint on the walls looked similar to the paint outside of the building—an off white color and peeling badly. The Doctor thought that "not much" was quite an understatement.

Adyson rummaged through the closet and pulled out a duffel bag.

"Let me get my stuff together and we can be off," she said. "I don't want to stay here longer than I have to."

"Fair enough," said the Doctor as he began to poke around.

Adyson disappeared into the bathroom while the Doctor continued exploring. He noticed a picture frame sitting on top of the microwave, which he promptly picked up. It showed three girls, one of which was quite obviously a much younger version of Adyson. Her face was brighter than now, she hadn't lost the baby fat from her cheeks yet, and she did not wear her signature smug look. It was the most genuine smile that the Doctor had seen her with. Adyson was holding a young girl with dark brown curls. They were both being hugged from behind by a smiling woman with light brown hair and freckles.

"This is the happiest I've ever seen her," the Doctor thought as he examined the picture even closer. The Doctor spun around suddenly when he heard Adyson approach.

"Who's this?" he asked, pointing to the picture.

Adyson looked shocked as she snatched the picture away and stuffed it into her duffel bag.

"Nobody."

"That's a lie," the Doctor retorted.

"It's not important," she snapped.

Seeing the fierce look on her face, the Doctor figured he would leave his questions for later.

Adyson finished packing in a surprisingly short amount of time, took one last look around the room, and stalked out. The Doctor followed her.

"Are you planning on coming back here?" the Doctor asked as they walked back to the TARDIS.

"Not if I can help it," she said.

"The TARDIS has created you a bedroom," said the Doctor as they entered the blue box.

"I'll find it later," said Adyson. "First of all, if I'm actually going to run off with a strange man, I'd kind of like to know who he is."

"I'm the Doctor," he said, spinning around to look at her.

"Well, yeah, but who _are _you?"

"Just me," he replied.

"Are you always this closed off?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

"What about you? Who are the people in the pictures?" the Doctor said, crossing his arms.

"That's not important."

"Are you always this closed off?"

"Yes."

They stared at each other, glaring and fuming in their mutual inflexibility.

"I'll tell you what," said Adyson. "I'll tell you something about me, and you tell me something. We'll ping pong back and forth. Then we both win."

The Doctor nodded, and Adyson sighed.

"My name is Adyson West. I don't know where I was born, and I don't know who my parents are or were. I grew up in an orphanage in New York City. I'm twenty-two years old. Your turn."

"My name is the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord, not a human. I'm from the planet Gallifrey. I'm one thousand and forty seven years old. Your turn."

Adyson stared.

"One thousand-"

"Yep."

"You're not human? You look human."

"You look Time Lord." The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Your turn."

Adyson rolled her eyes and sighed again.

"The people in the picture were, for all intensive purposes, my mother and sister. My mother Alexa adopted Clara and I at the same time. I was seven, she was two. Your turn."

"I grew up on Gallifrey. Then one day, I found this TARDIS. She was unlocked and I wanted to see the universe. So I stole her, and likewise, she stole me. We've traveled the stars together for over seven hundred years. Your turn." The Doctor and Adyson moved to sit on the bench in the console room.

"My mother had a bad heart condition. She died when I was twelve and Clara was seven. We moved in with a woman who was technically our aunt, but she never treated us like family. She was an alcoholic and a horrible person. I raised Clara by myself, essentially." Adyson stared into space, tears forming in her eyes. "Your turn."

"There was a war. An awful war, we called it the Time War. It's a long story, but I essentially destroyed my own home planet."

"You destroyed it?" Adyson said, her head snapping to look at the Doctor. "Why?"

"It was the only way to end the war. To destroy our enemy, I had to also destroy my own people. I'm the very last of my kind." The Doctor ducked his head. To say that this was not his favorite subject to talk about was a huge understatement. "Your turn."

"When I was eighteen, we moved out of that horrible woman's house and I got custody of Clara. We were really happy just to be together." Adyson's voice broke.

The Doctor placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"What happened?"

"She… she was hit by a car two years later, and slipped into a coma. She had horrible brain damage… but they thought she would eventually wake up. She didn't. She died a few weeks after the accident. She was fifteen. I was twenty."

Adyson sniffed, clearly holding back all of her tears.

"Your… your turn."

"I've traveled with lots of different companions. But they always leave me in the end, in one way or another. I swore I wouldn't bring anyone else along, but," the Doctor smiled and shook his head. "Some people just show up and all but scream 'hey, I'm here! Let me come with you!'" The Doctor smiled and ruffled Adyson's hair.

"What about River?" asked Adyson.

"Well, we have a complicated story. She is also a time traveler. Not Gallifreyan, but part Time Lord. Our timelines are going in reverse. So, for example, the first time I ever met her was the last time she ever saw me."

Adyson stared again.

"Oh my… what? But you're married… how does that even work?"

"It works, but in an extremely complicated and very difficult to verbalize manner. Your turn."

"There's not much else to me. After Clara died, I had to live on my own. I've been living in that studio apartment piece of shit, and working at that stupid café with idiots. I have a pathetic life. But I always wanted to see the stars. That's one thing I don't like about New York City… the lights are so bright, that you can't see the stars."

"Well, Miss Adyson West, let's take a look outside." The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her to the TARDIS door.

"The stars," he said, pulling the doors open and opening his arms wide.

They were floating in the middle of a galaxy somewhere, surrounded my twinkling stars by the thousand. Adyson had never seen such beauty. She stood, transfixed, staring into the deep blue and purple sky.

"Where… where are we?" she stammered.

"Right outside of the Milky Way Galaxy. Lovely view. Alright, Ady. Let's go figure out where we're going to explore next!" The Doctor closed the doors and all but skipped back to the TARDIS console.

Adyson paused.

"Did you just… did you just call me Ady?"

"Yes, I did. Is that bad?" The Doctor asked, peeking around the console.

Adyson shook her head.

"No, it's not bad. It's just… the last people to call me Ady were Clara and my mother."

The Doctor smiled and reached out to hug her.

"You know, we're not actually that different, me and you," said Ady.

The Doctor pulled back from the hug and stared at her.

"What do you mean? We're not even the same species…"

"I mean, look at us. Both of us have lost basically everything we have ever loved. You with your planet and your past companions, and me with my whole family. But we have one more thing in common."

"What's that?"

"We both want to see the stars, and we feel that this is where we really belong."

The Doctor hugged Ady again.

"I'm glad you're coming with me, Ady."

"I'm glad you're taking me with you, Doctor."

**Aww, companion love.**

**Please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hooray for chapter 3! It's the last intro/fluffy chapter until we get to the good stuff So enjoy!**

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

Adyson awoke with a grumble and cracked open one eye. She had been having a lovely dream, and had slept peacefully for the first time in months. However, it seems that she was being quite rudely awakened by an overexcited, one-thousand year old alien banging on her bedroom door. And apparently, this alien didn't think she was waking up fast enough.

The Doctor burst into Adyson's bedroom and all but catapulted himself onto her bed.

"Ady! Ady, wake up! Ady! We're going to go pick River up! And then we're going to go do something exciting. Ady! Are you awake?"

Ady groaned.

"Just because you don't have to have a whole lot of sleep doesn't mean _humans_ don't…"

"Sleep is for the weak! You can sleep when you're dead. Not that I want you to be dead, of course!" The Doctor dodged the pillow that narrowly missed his head.

"I'll make you coffee if you just get up!" The Doctor exclaimed.

Adyson sighed, realizing that this creature was definitely not going to let her sleep.

"Fine. Let me get dressed and I'll be out in a minute."

The Doctor clapped excitedly and rushed to the TARDIS kitchen.

"Coffee, coffee, coffee," he chanted. "I've never actually done this before; I never needed the caffeine…"

He strolled over to the coffee maker and examined it.

"Okay, coffee stuff goes here, water goes here. Great."

He added the ingredients, closed the lid, and stared at the coffee maker. It wasn't doing anything. He checked to see that it was turned on and plugged in—it was.

"Stupid human machine!" he grumbled, pulling out his sonic screwdriver just as Adyson entered the kitchen.

She sauntered over to the coffee maker and opened the lid.

"You're supposed to put the water _here,_ stupid," she said with a smirk, pointing to the exact opposite place of where the Doctor had put it previously. "Honestly, to be so smart, you really can be a dumbass sometimes."

The Doctor huffed and crossed his arms.

"I don't waste my time with irritating human inventions. I tend to worry about things of a larger scale."

Adyson laughed, shook her head, and made her own coffee.

o.o.o

"River! Ady! We've got to get out of here!"

The Doctor bolted back in the direction of the TARDIS with Adyson and River hot on his heels. Their "little adventure" had taken quite a turn, as many of them tended to do. Currently, they were running for their lives from a particularly hostile alien race called the Harpels that the Doctor had conveniently forgotten he owed a favor to. And the Harpels did not like people being in debt to them.

"I would really rather not kill them," the Doctor yelled over his shoulder as they ran. "But I don't want them to kill us either!"

Adyson looked to her left and noticed the gun in River's belt.

"River! Give me your gun!"

Without asking questions, River pulled it out and tossed it to Adyson. She caught it, and in one movement spun around and fired four shots toward a nearby tree. One of the larger branches snapped and fell between the three of them and the angry mob of Harpels, giving them the extra time they needed to get back to the TARDIS.

Slamming the door behind them, the Doctor ran to the console and launched them into the time vortex yet again.

"Whew! Made it again. Good job, Adyson!" River praised as Adyson handed her the gun back.

"Thanks," she replied with a smile.

"Where on Earth did you learn to shoot a gun like that?" the Doctor asked with bewilderment.

"I lived on my own in the middle of New York City for two years. Of course I know how to shoot a gun," Adyson said, tossing her hair. "Another reason why my apartment hadn't been raided as much is because I threatened to bust out their kneecaps if they touched anything, or me."

River looked extremely impressed.

"Amy, you are incredible," said the Doctor as he turned back to the console.

Adyson raised an eyebrow.

"Who the hell is Amy?"

The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Oh! Oh… I'm sorry, Ady. Ady, not Amy. Sorry," he said uncomfortably.

But Ady wasn't even close to being appeased.

"Who is Amy?" She moved closer to the Doctor.

"Amy was… a past companion of mine," he said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Okay…" Adyson said, clearly confused about why this seemed to be a touchy subject. However, the pained look on the Doctor's face and the worried look on River's told her that this was not something she should push with them. Something heartbreaking had happened with this Amy person, and it was probably not something that they wanted to speak of.

"Sorry, you just remind me of her sometimes. She was a firecracker. Quite like you."

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment," Adyson said with a smile. "Now, because this idiot woke me up at the ass crack of dawn this morning-"

"I did not!" exclaimed the Doctor while River laughed.

"You most certainly did. And because of that, I'm bushed. Goodnight!" Adyson disappeared from the console room.

The Doctor sighed, and River pulled him into a hug.

"I can't believe I called her Amy by accident," the Doctor said with a pained voice, burying his face in River's hair.

"I know, sweetie. It's okay," River said comfortingly.

"Is it weird to say that I miss Amy and Rory?"

"Not at all." River chuckled.

"It's not weird for you, they're your parents. They're my in-laws."

Rolling her eyes, River pulled the Doctor towards the bench and sat.

"She really is pretty similar to Amy," said the Doctor. "Brave, feisty, independent, and always surprising me. Who knew she could shoot a gun that well?"

"I'm just glad you found someone else to travel with," River said, brushing the Doctor's hair out of his eyes. "I mean, I'm not around all the time. Somebody's got to keep you in line!"

"I'm perfectly capable of being on my own-"

"Sure you are, sweetie," River retorted sarcastically. "As much as I love you, I do know your character flaws. And one of them is your ability to let your emotions overrun you. Somebody's got to knock you upside the head every now and then… it brings you back to reality."

"I'm positive that Ady will have no problem knocking me upside the head," the Doctor said, smiling. "We'll be fine."

"I'm sure you will be," River said, kissing him squarely on the lips.

**A/N: While writing this, Season 7 hasn't aired yet so obviously I don't know the extent of what happened to Amy and Rory. However, Moffat has said that it will be "heartbreaking" so I'm just running with that fact.**

**Anyway, reviews are lovely!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Time for Chapter 4! Get ready for some PLOT! **

Adyson lay in her bed one morning after waking up but before the overly impatient alien bust into her bedroom. She marveled in her new life—the adventures she shared with the Doctor and River. She smiled and sighed. For the past couple of years, she hadn't been exactly the most sensitive, touchy-feely person, but here on the TARDIS, Ady truly felt like she had a home and a family. And she wasn't afraid to admit it.

With the smell of coffee wafting into her room (the Doctor had _finally_ learned how to correctly use the coffee maker), Adyson swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up.

She promptly fell right back down onto her bed.

"Shit!" Adyson hissed. Her stomach churned and her head spun. "What the-"

Adyson groaned. Getting sick was _not_ exactly what she wanted to do at the moment. Sickness tended to interfere with adventure.

She stumbled down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"Morning!" said the Doctor cheerfully. His face fell as he saw her. "Are you okay?"

"Yep, I'm perfectly fine," Adyson said, accepting the coffee from him and taking a careful sip.

"Liar. You look horrible."

"I'm fine!" said Adyson. One of the things she hated the most was people fussing over her for one reason or another. If she was going to be sick, she was going to deal with it by herself. The Doctor had enough to worry about; one human being sick was not going to be his main priority.

"Alright," said the Doctor warily. "If you start to feel sick, let me know."

"Got it," she said.

At that, River walked through the TARDIS doors.

"Hello, sweeties! Adyson, are you okay? You look dead on your feet."

"Ugh! I'll be fine! Quit fussing over me. I'm going to go get dressed." Adyson twirled and left the kitchen, leaving the Doctor stunned.

"She's doing that thing you do," he said.

"What?" asked River as she waltzed over to hug the Doctor.

"You know, whenever you're sick or hurt. You always pretend everything is okay. Even if you feel awful," said the Doctor with a sly smile.

"I have absolutely _no_ clue what you're talking about," River responded with a similar smirk.

"You know… I've been thinking," the Doctor said contemplatively.

"You tend to do that."

"What do you think of having Ady on the TARDIS?"

River was slightly taken aback.

"Why are you asking my opinion?"

"Because your opinion matters to me."

"I… I love the fact that she travels with you." River smiled. "She keeps you in line when I can't. Now, why are you _really_ asking me this?"

The Doctor shrugged.

"I don't know. I love having her here, too. Something just… something just feels…" The Doctor paused, searching for the word.

"Right?"

"Yes. Something just feels right with her here. Like she was born to do this or something." The Doctor smiled and reached out to River.

River walked into his hug.

"I'm going to go check on her," said the Doctor, releasing River. "Born to do this or not, something could really be wrong with her and I seriously doubt she would tell me unless she was dying."

River chuckled.

"Alright, go force an answer out of her."

The Doctor left the room, walked the short distance down the TARDIS corridor and warily approached Adyson's room. He knocked lightly on the door. When there was no response, he carefully pushed it open and poked his head inside.

"Ady? You okay?"

He found her lying on her bed curled into a ball.

"Yeah… yeah I'm fine," she responded weakly.

"You most certainly are _not_ fine," said the Doctor. "I'm taking you to the medical bay."

"No, no I'm fine," she started to protest. But the Doctor would hear nothing of it. He scooped her up in his arms easily. Adyson groaned as he carried her out of the room and down the hallway. River, who had followed the Doctor, pushed open the door to the medical bay for them.

The Doctor sat Adyson down on a cot, where she promptly flopped down on her side.

"Now, I'm going to run some simple tests just to see what's wrong," the Doctor said as he prepared some equipment. Ady was too sick to notice or care what he was doing, and complied finally with his requests.

The Doctor took her temperature, took a blood sample, examined her heartbeat, and ran probably more tests than was actually necessary for the situation.

"It looks like you have a normal… a normal stomach bug…" the Doctor said quite distractedly. He was staring at a monitor as if it had just turned into a chicken. The look of utter confusion the Doctor wore was enough to pull Adyson out of her sick stupor for a moment.

"If I'm not dying, why are you staring at that screen like it just sprouted a head?"

The comment attracted River, who rested her chin on the Doctor's shoulder and took a look at the screen. Her face soon matched the Doctor's.

"Hey! Sick human over here wants to know what the hell is wrong!" Adyson was beginning to get annoyed.

"Like he said, you've just got a stomach bug. Nothing life-threatening, sweetie," said River.

"Then what the HELL is going on?" Ady raised her voice impatiently and jumped up. She immediately regretted this rash decision. Her stomach churned again and her head spun.

The Doctor spun around to her, lifting her and placing her back on the cot.

"Ady, I'm about to ask you a very important question. A very important question indeed. And, I need you to answer this question to the absolute best of your ability. I need you to think _very_ hard."

"Doctor, you're scaring me."

"I'm sorry. But please answer me this."

Adyson nodded.

"What orphanage did you grow up in, and do you know what year it was when you arrived?"

Adyson was shocked.

"What does this even have to do-"

"Please, sweetie, just answer his question," River said with a surprisingly calm tone. She placed her hand on Adyson's shoulder in support.

"It was… 1990. That's the year I was born, too. I was about six months old. And it was the Springdale Children's Home in New York City."

The Doctor closed his eyes. His face fell in his hands.

"So, can you tell me why this is relevant-" Ady began.

River's grip on Adyson's shoulder tightened slightly, as if the news that the Doctor was about to give would shatter her.

"Because, Ady, there is a very good chance that you are River's and my daughter."

**A/N: Hooray! Trust me, more will be explained!**

**Thank you SO MUCH for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm sorry this has taken so long! I started my student teaching this semester, so it's going to be a busy one. I'll update when I can**

**But anyway, this chapter is in segments- some are a flashback, some are in present-time. The next few will probably be like this. I'm going to try and keep it as straightforward and confusion-free as possible, because nothing sucks worse than getting mind-swamped by a story in two different time periods. Anyway, I thought that some of the story is better "lived" than just told by River or the Doctor. Here goes!**

Adyson stared at the Doctor, completely dumbfounded by his previous words. She then did the only thing that she could muster to do—laugh.

"Ha! Daughter? You've got to be joking!" Adyson chortled.

"This really isn't a laughing matter," said the Doctor seriously, silencing Adyson at once.

"How can this even be?" Adyson asked. "I don't understand."

"It's so difficult to explain-" started the Doctor.

The comment roused Ady.

"Don't give me that bullshit," she said angrily. "You just told me I might be your _daughter_. I want some explanations!" Her stomach began to churn again. She groaned and leaned against the cot.

"Do you want me to wait until you're feeling better?" asked the Doctor.

"Did you hear a _word _I just said?" Ady yelled. "I sure as hell don't want you to wait!"

The Doctor sighed.

**O.O.O.O.O**

**23 YEARS PREVIOUSLY**

This couldn't be right.

This was completely impossible.

"River?" The Doctor knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you okay? You've been in there a while."

River looked nervously towards the door as she threw the common human pregnancy test into the trash can. She threw a piece of toilet paper over it so the telltale pink plus sign was hidden.

"Yes, I'm fine," said River.

"Well, come on out!" said the Doctor excitedly. "I'm bored and I want to do something exciting!"

River smiled weakly and exited the bathroom into her husband's arms.

"Actually, there's something I kind of wanted to talk about," said River nervously.

The Doctor's entire demeanor immediately changed with one look at River's face. He led her quickly to the bench in the console room.

"What's going on?"

River shifted uncomfortably.

"Doctor, what do you feel about being a father again?" River couldn't look into his eyes, fearing his answer. But the one she got was definitely not the one she expected.

"That's impossible," the Doctor said, laughing.

"How is that impossible?" asked River, a little irritated on how he wasn't taking this subject seriously.

"Time Lords don't reproduce like humans do. It's a completely different process, and I obviously haven't been through that lately. And, there's no way to, considering there's no more Gallifrey."

"Well, I'm pregnant," said River.

The Doctor's face changed rapidly from a smile to utter confusion.

"Wait… how is that possible? You're technically a Time Lord… and so am I… this can't happen! Oh, this can't happen, it's so dangerous… wait, _what?_ Oh, this is fascinating!" The Doctor clapped his hands.

"Please enlighten me," said River. "I can't tell if you're scared, confused, angry, or excited about this."

"Well, first thing's first," he said. He scooped River up off of the bench and hugged her tightly. "I'm scared out my mind, to be honest. The life we live is no life for a baby, especially a Time Lord-ish child. At least, I think that's what it would be. Anyway, I'm not sure what to do, but I'm also really happy. Oh, River, we're going to be _parents!_"

"Well, I'm glad you're at least a little bit happy," said River. "I was scared you were going to go crazy with worry or something."

"Oh, that will probably come later," said the Doctor. "But in the meantime, let's go to the medical bay. I _must_ figure out how this child is possible!"

**O.O.O.O.O**

**PRESENT TIME**

"Okay, that's fine and dandy. Wonderful story. You knocked River up and a few months later, I happened. But you haven't answered any of my questions yet," said Ady.

"We're getting there," explained River.

The Doctor rubbed his eyes.

"Okay, so in the most simplistic terms, we didn't think that you were even possible."

"I think you covered that," said Ady.

"Shut up and listen. So, I am a Time Lord. I am Gallifreyan. River is a Time Lord, technically. But she isn't Gallifreyan. She's my kind because… well…"

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"I was conceived in the time vortex," said River.

Ady stared.

"Ugh," she said. "Your parents did the nasty in the TARDIS? How the hell…"

"Remember I talked about Amy?" said the Doctor after he got over his initial shock of River's blunt explanation and Ady's crude comment.

"Yes…"

"She's River's mother."

"Oh, sure. This all makes perfect sense."

"My mother and father were the Doctor's companions," explained River.

"Okay, okay. So that's fine. Amy and Whatshisface had sex on the TARDIS and Amy birthed you. So you're Time Lord but not from Gallifrey. What does this have to do with anything?"

"River isn't a typical Time Lord," said the Doctor. "We thought she and I were pretty much alike, but we realized that there are a few biological differences that we'd overlooked. Like I said, we reproduce differently on Gallifrey. I won't get into that because it's really boring and not necessary for this explanation," said the Doctor.

"Thanks for your concern," said Ady.

"Anyway, we found out that I can mother children like a normal human, " said River. "We had no clue, so we hadn't exactly done anything to prevent this…"

"Ew, I really don't want to talk about sex with the two people who claim to be my parents," said Ady, stuffing her fingers in her ears.

"Very funny. Anyway, so we found out that you were on the way, and our lives changed completely," said the Doctor with a reminiscent smile.

"That's great, but it doesn't answer the biggest question I have," said Ady seriously. "Why the _hell_ did you leave me behind?"

**Kind of a short one this time, sorry.**

**I read about Looming somewhere… Time Lord reproduction… and I wanted to at least explain how this pregnancy is possible.**

**Anyway, more to come! More explanations, more drama, more funny, and more snarky Ady comments!**

**Reviews are LOVELY 3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Again, sorry for the delay! I'm student teaching, and it's QUITE busy. I'm always writing lesson plans instead of this story. Anyway, so here's chapter six of this lovely story!**

"Well, where are my answers?" Ady crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow.

The Doctor sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"You must know, you are sometimes so _insufferably _like River that I'm surprised I didn't see before you were our daughter…"

"Alright, smartass. You're not allowed to make jokes about this until you explain everything to me," Ady snapped.

"Okay, okay. We're getting there," said the Doctor, looking older and more tired than River had ever seen him.

River moved behind him and put her hands protectively on his shoulders.

"Let me tell this part, sweetie," she said.

**O.O.O.O.O**

**22 YEARS PREVIOUSLY**

The Doctor was crying.

He never cried. Well, with the exception of a few choice times in his life… and apparently the sight of his wife and his newborn daughter both looking at him lovingly was enough to make even a hardened Time Lord cry.

The Doctor sniffed as he perched himself on the edge of River's hospital bed. When she woke him up the previous night with intense contractions, he had brought her to the best non-Earth hospital he knew.

"I think it was a good thing we decided to come here," said the Doctor.

"I agree," said River. They had both agreed that Earth doctors would have asked too many questions about River and the baby's biology.

"Have we gotten any results to the specific… species of our child?" said River.

"I talked to them while you were sleeping," the Doctor answered. "It seems that she is, for all intensive purposes, partially Time Lord. She only has one heart right now, though. We're thinking that if she ever regenerates, she may grow another."

"If she regenerates?"

"We can't be sure if she has enough Time Lord in her that she will regenerate," the Doctor answered, stroking his baby daughter's nose with his fingertip. "We'll just have to see in time, I suppose."

River nodded. "Fair enough. Now, what are we going to do?"

The Doctor sighed.

"To be honest, I don't know."

"You know how much Stormcage has been cracking down on me. Or trying to, at least," River said with a sly smile.

Before River had become pregnant, the prison Stormcage had finally realized, or begun to care at least, that River broke out almost every night. They had just started to try and put even more security on her before the baby was born.

"Is our life any sort of environment for a child to grow up in?"

"Not at all."

"Well, what are we going to do?" River looked worried at the thought.

"I think we should just take life one day at a time," said the Doctor. "Because I honestly don't know what would be best. The last thing I would ever want to do is give her up," he said.

River smiled at her husband, but looked worried all the same.

"She is a lot more alert than most newborn humans," the Doctor said, breaking the tension as he watched the baby follow his finger in front of her face. "She is already focusing on things, and she's only a few hours old. I bet she is going to be brilliant. Kind of like her mother." He planted a kiss on the top of her head.

River smiled and gazed at the child.

"I never thought I'd be a mother," said River. "I never thought I had it in me. I mean, I didn't exactly have a mother figure growing up." She shivered at the thought of her lonely childhood.

"You're going to be a fantastic mother," said the Doctor. "I mean, you know exactly how _not _to be one. Now, more importantly, what are we going to name our daughter?"

River smiled.

"Well, I've always liked the name Hannah."

The Doctor wrinkled his nose.

"That's too plain. Hannah. Way too plain. How about Mia?"

"What? Mia? You think Hannah is too plain then you try to give our daughter a three-letter name."

"What's wrong with a three-letter name? Okay, fine. How about Vivian?"

"That is too weird." It was River's turn to wrinkle her nose.

"How on Earth is Vivian weird?"

"I just don't like it."

"There are some lovely Gallifreyan names that I could suggest…" The Doctor tapped his finger on his chin in thought."

"You are _not_ giving our daughter some awful Gallifreyan name that I won't even be able to pronounce!"

"You are SO stubborn, River!"

"You're the one who's stubborn!"

The Doctor and River glared at each other in their mutual bullheadedness.

"Okay, fine. Let's compromise," said the Doctor. "Let's give her a human name, but change the spelling of the name so it's original."

"Sounds fine to me," said River, uncrossing her arms.

"Okay. Callie? Alyssa? Tessa? Allison?"

"Allison. That one. I like it." River smiled. "Let's spell it A-L-Y-S-O-N."

The Doctor smiled and looked down at his newborn daughter.

"Welcome to the world, Alyson Song."

**O.O.O.O.O**

**PRESENT DAY**

"So, why is my name Adyson, if you really named me Alyson?" Ady said, confused.

"When we dropped you off at the orphanage, we left a note with your first name," answered River. "Just your first name, because we didn't want to put you in danger at all by giving you my last name."

"We hoped you would be adopted, be given a completely different last name, and lose all association with us all together," the Doctor said wearily. "It may have even been best that your name was accidently changed, now that I think about it."

"We wrote your name on a piece of paper that we gave to the woman there, but she must have misread it as 'Adyson' rather than 'Alyson'. But that's okay, your name is beautiful," River said, smiling. "It still fits what we wanted originally—a somewhat 'normal' name with a different spelling."

"Are we getting to the part where you tell me why you left me?" asked Ady. "Because for some reason, I've been asking about it the whole time and you haven't answered me yet."

**O.O.O.O.O**

**22 YEARS PREVIOUSLY**

They were running again.

It seemed that they could never stop running.

Only, this time, it was different.

River was clutching a bundle of blue blankets to her chest. She was curled over the small, screaming child as they ran towards the TARDIS. Bullets and lasers shot all around them as they ran.

"Doctor! I don't know how much longer I can do this!" yelled River.

"Not too much longer now, we're here!" The Doctor threw open the TARDIS doors and all but shoved River in before him. He ran straight to the console, where he immediately put them into the time vortex.

"I didn't mean running this particular time," said River. "I mean running in general." She soothed and bounced the wailing Alyson as she warmed up a bottle. "How much longer are we going to have to run from these people? Do we have to spend the rest of our lives like this?"

The Doctor sighed.

"I don't know," he said. "I'm not sure how they keep finding us."

After Alyson had been born, the Doctor and River decided to raise Alyson together on the TARDIS. He knew this probably wasn't the wisest choice and the TARDIS wasn't the best place to raise a child, it was still preferable to a prison. Ever since River had broken out for the last time, there were Stormcage guards absolutely everywhere they went. It didn't matter what time period or what planet they traveled to try and escape, they always ended up running in the end.

"Is there some way they could be… tracking me?" asked River, finally satisfying the irritable child with her bottle.

"Possibly. But there are so many different possibilities that I don't know which is the most feasible."

"We can't live like this," said River. "We can't raise Alyson like this."

"I know," said the Doctor. "I know."

He pulled River and Alyson into a hug.

"We have to get her someplace safe," he said, a tear in his eye.

**O.O.O.O.O.O**

**PRESENT DAY**

"So, we brought you to New York City, in 1990," said River. "It seemed like the least possible place for you to get into trouble or for anyone bad to find you."

Ady stared.

"Obviously, you don't know New York very well," she retorted.

"Well, that's basically the story," said the Doctor, rubbing his eyes. "We were afraid of the life we had to live, and the live you would live if you stayed with us much longer. River was supposed to be in prison, and we were being followed everywhere through time and space. They would have killed her, me, or even you in an instant. We didn't have a choice but to put you someplace safe."

"We were going to come back for you," said River. "We were going to wait until my name was cleared and we weren't being followed anymore, and then come back for you."

"Were you, now?" Ady said, her anger finally showing through her shock. "You were going to come back. _Were_. Why didn't you? Why did you leave me here to rot, knowing I wasn't even fully human?"

"We didn't come back for you because River _just_ had her name cleared not too long ago. It was by complete chance that we met twenty two years down your lifetime."

"Didn't you ever think that I wouldn't fit in?" asked Adyson. "Didn't you stop and think for a moment that leaving me might not have been a grand old idea?"

"Yes, we did, actually," the Doctor said, standing up. "You have _absolutely no idea_ how hard this decision was for us. It's not like we had a baby, and then planned to leave it somewhere for other people to raise and not get to see any of your milestones."

The Doctor was fully standing now, turning redder by the second.

"We missed your first word, your first tooth, your first steps, your first day of school… everything. And by the way, it is one of our biggest regrets, not being able to come back and get you again. Whether or not you realize it, we cared about you _so much,_ that we had to do what we thought was best for you. Just wait until one day, when you have a child. Maybe then, you'll understand."

With that, the Doctor walked from the room.

Ady stared after him, tears brimming in her blue eyes.

**Hooray! Reviews are NICE **


	7. Chapter 7

Ady sat in her bedroom, her arms wrapped around herself as if she were physically trying to hold herself together. She was doing something she almost never did.

She was sobbing her eyes out.

"_Why am I so upset?" _Ady thought to herself. "_I should feel happy. I know who my parents are now; I've been waiting my entire life to find out. And, they're time travelers who have shown me things I never thought were possible."_

Ady sniffed and sat up, but was quickly overcome with another round of sobs.

"_Yeah, the really awesome parents who leave you to rot in an Earth orphanage when you're not even fully human," _she thought. "_Sounds great."_

It was a lot to take in. Not only had she just found out about her parents, but finding out that she is partially an alien is not exactly a tidbit of information that someone finds out every day.

_"I wonder if the Doctor can explain it more to me-" _she started. _"Oh wait, I pissed the stubborn alien off. Never mind."_

As if on cue, there was a soft knock at her door as said stubborn alien poked his head into her bedroom. Seeing Ady's tearstained face and reddened eyes, he crossed the room and hugged her tightly.

"I don't think I've ever seen you cry before," he noted.

Ady sniffed.

"Really? That's the first thing you say to me?" She pulled back from his hug and glared. "You tell me I'm not human, say you're my dad, and then comment on the fact that you've never seen me cry?"

The Doctor sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so, so sorry." He cradled her face in his hands.

" I didn't know something like this would happen. I had no clue we would ever find you. I hoped that we would, someday, but I never thought we actually would."

The Doctor moved his hands from Ady's face to her shoulders.

"But, I can tell you one thing for sure," he said, raising his eyebrows. "You have become exactly the young woman we hoped you would since the day you were born. Feisty, independent, and strong, yet still caring and loving. You remind me so much of your grandmother."

Ady was shocked at the sudden mention of her mysterious grandmother.

"Amy?"

The Doctor nodded.

"You do remind me of her. And you know what? I couldn't be prouder to say that you are my daughter."

Ady's eyes were wide as she stared at the Doctor. They began to brim again with fresh tears.

"Nobody's… ever… said anything like that about me before," she said, wiping her eyes. "Ugh, and you're making me a blubbering mess again!"

The Doctor laughed.

"So," Ady began, with a raise of her eyebrow. "Does this mean I have to call you 'Dad' now?" She smirked.

"Please don't!" the Doctor exclaimed, shaking his head vigorously. "That would be so… strange."

Ady snorted in laughter.

"What? I can't start calling you Dad? Papa? Daddy-kins…"

"Ady!" The Doctor groaned, shoving her shoulder playfully.

"I'm kidding. I don't want us to change," said Ady. "You're not going to start being that awkward father figure, are you? Scrutinizing boys and being overprotective?"

"I'll try," said the Doctor. It was his turn to laugh.

Ady glared.

"I'm kidding, too!" he said, throwing his hands up in defense and artfully dodging Ady's signature pillow-throw-to-the-head. "Nothing will change. We are still our little TARDIS family, only now we really are, officially, family."

Ady smiled. Family. It had been a while since she could truly say she had one of those.

**o.o.o.o.o**

"Doctor, am I going to change any?"

It had been a few days since the "reveal," for lack of better terms, of Ady's true self. The Doctor glanced up from the TARDIS controls, confused.

"What?" he asked, half listening. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and attempted to mend a switch he had broken earlier that day.

"I mean, now that I know I'm not really human," she started.

"You're partially human," explained the Doctor, still not looking up. "And partially Time Lord."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that whatever way you were growing up is the way you will stay. You've been surrounded by humans your entire life, so you know the human norms. However, you also are accustomed to yourself. You know how you, personally, are. And that won't change just because you found out your true genetics." The Doctor paused, finally looking at Ady. "Well, I partially take that back."

Ady stopped in her tracks.

"There is something that… _could _change… but it's nothing to worry about soon," he said quickly an somewhat defensively.

"What is it?"

The Doctor could tell he had struck a nerve with her. He sighed in defeat. "It's called regeneration."

"Never heard of it."

"Well, I'm sure you haven't." He sat down on the bench in the console room, and patted the seat next to him for Ady. "Okay, so you know how I'm over a thousand years old, right?"

Ady nodded, joining the Doctor on the bench.

"Whenever it is time for me to die, whether it is from old age or something kills me, I regenerate instead of die completely. Every cell in my body becomes new. I am still the Doctor. I have all of my memories from my past, but I am essentially a completely different person.

Ady stared.

"So, you've been other people before."

"Precisely. I'm on my eleventh regeneration."

"Eleventh?" Ady choked.

"Yes, eleventh. And, I'm sure if you look in the right place, you could find some pictures of my old regenerations in the TARDIS files. But enough of that for now-"

"What does that have to do with me? Am I going to regenerate?" Ady asked, looking slightly nervous.

"We aren't sure. Ever since you were born, I could never figure out if you had enough Time Lord in you to regenerate or not. But honestly, I'd rather not test that theory."

Ady smiled. "Me neither."


End file.
